An exploration of pizza in and around Rochester, NY, one pizzeria at a time

Friday, August 13, 2010

Coliseum Pizza Roma, Webster

Coliseum Pizza Roma is on Empire Boulevard in Webster, though the location has seen several pizzerias come and go over the past few years. At one point there was a DiRosato's here, then simply "Pizza Roma," and now we have Coliseum Pizza Roma, which has roots going back some years to "SS Coliseum Pizza" on Dewey Avenue in Rochester.
Confusing, yes, but regardless of the name, this is a place I'd meant to get to for some time. Coliseum doesn't open until 4 p.m., so this wasn't a place I could go to for a lunchtime slice. I did finally get a pepperoni pie there recently for dinner.When I opened the box, I saw what looked like a pretty good looking pizza, until I took a peek at the underside. It was very pale, and somewhat sooty. For whatever reason, the top had cooked just fine, then, but the bottom was quite underdone.I'm not sure exactly what the problem was, but I do know that I can get a better-baked crust in my home oven.
Anyway, the bottom was dry, at least, not greasy, and overall the crust was on the thick side of medium. The thickness was uneven, though, with some slices considerably thicker than others.
Not surprisingly, the crust had a doughy flavor, and a chewy texture. The edge was brown and crisp, a bit crunchy, and I think I would've enjoyed the crust quite a lot if it had been better baked.The sauce on this one was moderately applied, with a tomatoey, slightly tangy flavor. This was a pretty cheesy pie, with a fairly thick layer of browned cheese. There were a few dried herbs visible, but I didn't detect a lot of herb flavor.
Coliseum offers a pretty basic menu, with a handful of specialty pizzas, hot subs and wraps, wings and fried appetizers, and chicken parm dinners. Perhaps what really separates them from the crowd is that they're open till 4 a.m. every night, and they deliver "anywhere" in the Rochester area.
Despite its flaws, this was OK pizza. The right components were there, and the flavor wasn't bad, but the problem was one of execution. So I'm going to call it average, and give it a C.
Coliseum Pizza Roma, 2225 Empire Blvd., Webster 458-1470, 671-8680
Open 4 p.m. - 4 a.m. daily.

Ratings Guide

A: great; one of the best this area has to offerB: pretty good; not top-notch, but definitely good, and better than averageC: OK; nothing special, but it’ll do; typical for our areaD: edible; if you’ve already paid for it, you might as well eat itF: downright bad; toss it and get something else